Metabo Cordless The Full Package and now with 5.2Ah Batteries
I am sitting in my office typing this on my desktop by the light of the new Metabo BSA 14.4-18 LED Site light on its sturdy tripod stand. It almost feels like I should have applied Factor 50 because the room is flooded with light, and since the BSA 14.4-18 LED is powered by the new Metabo 18V 5.2Ah Li Ion battery, I could take the next seven hours to do my review while the battery lasts. The editor wouldn’t like it, but those are the possibilities! I actually have a bumper
package of Metabo products to review this month apart from the site light and stand. These include some of my favourite tools, an impact driver and a compact drill/ driver as well as the new long-life battery pack that can be used in all of the tools since Metabo has built-in compatibility across the range. So, no more chat, time to get on. Starting with the cordless drill/
driver or to give it its full title, the Metabo BS18 LT Quick. The first thing you notice is just how compact it is – just as big as it needs to be. The second thing you notice is just how macho it looks – not in a nasty gangsterish way, but capable and tough. This is largely due to the very robust plastic Metabo Green body with oodles of well-placed grippy rubber overmoulding. The handle is particularly well served for grip and comfort, but there are lots of other nice touches like the “bumpers” that slightly protrude to protect the drill should it be placed on its side rather than stood upright on the battery pack. In the usual Metabo way, the controls are picked out in red. The red slider switch on top of the body selects the speeds and the forward/lock/reverse switch is just above the trigger, perfectly placed to be operated by thumb or forefinger. The trigger is just big enough for one finger, but has a comfortable rubber facing to it. A cast alloy collar is used to select up to twenty torque settings in quite small steps, so even tiny or extra large screws can be driven perfectly without overdriving them. Unlike some, the collar slides smoothly round with positive click stops at each mark. There is a bright steel belt hook on
the base above the battery. There is the possibility that you might actually use this since the drill is light enough to hang from a belt. The “standard” 4Ah
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battery pack is slid onto the base and is easily released by pushing the release on the back of the drill casing. Rubber overmoulding protects the
battery too, and its base is perfectly flat to enable the drill to be stood up easily. There is also a bright LED light on the base of the drill aimed at the work point and a series of four red lights on
power and torque in spades and even drilling 6mm thick steel wasn’t too much of a tedious task. But the “Quick” bit of the title is
one of the best features of this drill. You are actually given three different ways in which to attach driver or drill bits. Each of which is as “quick” as it can be to choose. The first way is to
end and you have a very smart, and compact, quick release chuck that will take the increasingly wide range of assorted bits available in sets and singly. Finally, there is the three-jaw chuck
option. This quality chuck is a meaty, all metal number with a capacity of 12mm. It too can be fitted in seconds by pushing the collar forward and sliding it onto the spindle where it is locked into place. These chuck options mean
that the BS18 Quick is a realistically powerful and versatile drill/driver for all trades and occasions. Its compact size belies its very considerable capabilities. It is truly a great little tool. In the same foam-lined
Metaloc case as the BS18 Quick was the SSD18 LT Impact driver. Readers will know how much I like using impact drivers especially on repetitive jobs where a lot of screws are needing to be driven and where the toll on your wrists can be minimized by using an impact driver. The SSD 18 LT is even more
compact than the “Quick” but follows a very similar construction pattern. So you get all the grippy overmould, the “bumpers”, the belt hook etc etc as well as the built-in Metabo quality and handling. One thing that I think is
unique to the SSD 18LT is the small red button at the base of the handle. This can be used to select three positions of torque and speed. The first position selects maximum speed and minimum torque, the middle position provides a balance between a slower speed and more torque, and the last position selects the slowest speed but with maximum torque. Having seen the SSD18 LT
punch a 30cm long screw into a butt of hardwood at a tool show recently, I am in absolutely no doubt that it is an amazing little machine, and gram for gram, it must be one of the best on the
the back of the battery pack to let you check on the state of charge of the battery. I just loved using this drill/driver not
only because the LT designation makes good use of electronics for maximum efficiency, but there are many other features too, like the motor brake. The drill feels very comfortable in the hand, and nothing seems to daunt it. It has
simply insert the hex end of a bit into the spindle straight out of the business end. This makes the effective length of the drill top about eighteen or nineteen cm and is remarkably compact and perfect for kitchen fittings inside cabinets and such things. The second way is to take the
simple hex chuck supplied, flick the red collar forward, slip it over the spindle
market. I just loved using this impact driver, courtesy of the nice new set of impact driver bits provided by Metabo. Its almost effortless performance inspires confidence in doing a good job every time. The LT range includes the BS18 LT
drill driver and SB18 LT Combi drill, which are the latest intermediate range versions of the flagship LTX’s tested on
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